As a few of you wrote in the comments to the article on Matthew Crawford’s upcoming presentation at Hershey, the dismantling of shop classes and vocational programs in schools is indeed a cause for concern, but there’s more to the graying of the collector-car hobby than that. While we’ve discussed this very topic in Open Diff posts in the past, it remains a concern, so let’s address it again.

Let’s try to answer some questions here: What barriers do younger generations face that keep them from entering the collector-car hobby nowadays? And what should we all do about it? Are the clubs and the existing programs and non-profits dedicated to getting younger generations into the hobby doing enough? Or are there indeed plenty of young collector-car enthusiasts who mind their own business and fly under the radar?

161 Responses to “Open Diff: On the graying of the hobby”

Too much preaching to the choir – altho the preachments are generally intelligent and well thought out.

As simply as it can be expressed:

The decline in interest in hands-on hobbies is a result of the de-industrialization of America. The last TWO generations, now, have grown up in a world where “you don’t see how things work”, and where things are either thrown out when they don’t work anymore, or, increasingly, can only be repaired by a specialist.

The REAL problem which can affect us as a nation lies in the growing need for young trades- people in virtually every sector of the economy. When that need is addressed, then there will be a renewed interest in hands-on hobbies; why? BECAUSE MECHANICAL PEOPLE ARE MECHANICAL PEOPLE, and, once bitten by the bug, the young roofer or plumber will seek out ways in which his tools and technical skills can be used in a FUN. way in his off-hours.
So a more important need is a National effort by trade organizations, manufacturers, schools, various government entities [especially Municipal governments] to instill in youth that manual labor is a PRIVILEGE in this cubicle world; one that’s in demand and pays well [well enough that they can afford a car hobby, wink wink].

This sort of initiative should be on the order of our past efforts at closing the “missile gap” or going to the moon. Alas, we seem to lack the national will to achieve ANY real goal these past few decades; only 911 has succeeded in galvanizing us as a nation.
But it’s really quite simple; if we can succeed in producing a more hands-on generation, then you’ll have no trouble recruiting young hobbyists.

I believe everything you said, John. Well thought out and so true. You know, much of the issue is the way they build cars nowadays, to protect passengers, a noble cause, but leaving few cars as survivors of age, and also a dearth of body specialists who can work sheet metal. Plus they look boring compared to the rolling art of yesteryear, the cars that were hand built by human beings, even the ones built on assembly lines, with individual personalities even among a given make and model.

In 1972 at the age of 16 I purchased a 62 MGA 1600 MkII for $400.00 and it taught me how to work on cars. Hoping to provide the same experience of a Lucas, “Prince of Darkness” electrified British roadster (and with the adventure of not knowing if they will have to find an alternate way to return home) is an experience I would like to provide for my my 2 teenage boys. I have been looking for some low cost British project car without success. I read the stories in the Hemming’s Motors publications about owners with multiple cars stored in garages that our larger and nicer then our home. It has become a hobby for the well off, leaving the shade tree mechanics behind. Sure there are cheaper late model cars to be found with their computers, electronic ignition and maxed out engine bays but where can you find a low cost honest basic car like and MG or Triumph?

But let’s say that the initiative about which you write is not pursued for any number of reasons – is there anything that can turn around or stabilize the hobby? I do not see it. Further, instead, the hobby is becoming one that attracts the wealthy much like other arts where the “collecting” is more important than the “painting”.

Millennials are not into cars as much as are older folks, partly for all the reasons given here. I do meet kids with tuned Hondas who are rightly proud of their machines, with without a shop, how much can they do in the driveway?

Tools for the sorts of cars youngsters might collect cost a lot, in addition to the standard sets we car folks all have. I even have a lift, a dream of my teen years.

So kids go to a speed shop and no skills get learned. The bigger issue for me is that cars made before the mid 60s may fade further as the hobby grays then “graves.” I read the title of this post this way,since I did have my bifocals

How do we get a youngster hot and bothered about a 40 Ford? Took me months to sell a 41 in great shape here, relic my late father in law cherished. I’m a muscle-car guy, so we sold it, but no one under 60 had any interest…

As younger collector car enthusiast (21), I think the biggest hurdle is the cost. I’m lucky in the fact that I’m restoring a 31 Model A with my grandfather and I think that’s how the younger generation will get into the hobby is with family members who have the older classics and taking time with them. At the high school I went to the auto shop teacher had a couple of collectable cars and students have had the chance to work on and restore these cars. Also there are clubs out there that are reaching out to younger generation. The local Model A club I am with just hosted the MARC National Convention and we had events for kids such as a chassis rebuild where kids had a chance to actually get to work on a old car. We are out there, just waiting for the chance to experience the collector car hobby.

I agree with everything thats been said so far. Most of us are over 50 and when we were in our 20’s we could buy a 53 Ford for 200 bucks. Now the same condition car is 5 figures and needs work. A kid today who hasn’t been exposed to the hobby and/or doesn’t have the cash is going to go buy a cheap Honda or Toyota, put wheels and a sound system in it and he’s cruising.Jacob summed it up, his grandfather is mentoring him. I do that with my sons . When the older two got their license I helped them purchase a beater and told them you break it you fix it. It served them well,they appreciate “vintage tin”. One son is the current caretaker of a 78 Mustang and he’s a member of a car club.But herein lies the problem he’s 28 and he’s the youngest guy! So, We somehow have to overcome the socio/economic 800 pound gorilla in the room. I feel that we aren’t going to change the “downsizing” of the Education system, so it has to come down to mentoring. And the cost? …well ,that,s a tough one right? Maybe a program say through Hemmings could be implemented. Call it project cars for gearheads under 30. Guys our age list beaters in Hemming and the rules are you have to be under 30 and not a dealer or speculator to purchase the car.

The prior 2 comments hit the nail right on the head. When I had my hobby shop, curiousity seekers would come in with their kids. These were 2nd generation video game/ computer kids. Their parents remember models made by their father or grandfather. They couldn’t grasp the concept of spending time taking a bunch of pieces and making something. The best comment I heard was “what is the fun to work ratio” Instant gratification has become the norm. Using your hands to make or repair something has been using your hands to type for entertainment.

Cost has become an unnecessary hurdle. The “car auction network” each winter has portrayed old cars as huge investments. There should be equal time telecasts featuring cars that almost anyone can afford. But, I guess that won’t happen because it doesn’t help the auction circuit. Who’s going to spend 100 grand plus when you can have as much fun with a car costing less than 10 thousand.

Plus when you go to car shows, a lot of time all you hear is “how much this and that cost” It’s a hobby. It doesn’t have to cost that much. to have a nice car. Certain aspects are expensive, but we should also talk about the inexpensive parts of the restorations, and the enjoyment we get out of the cars. A lot of people don’t bring out the so so cars because they feel they won’t be welcome with the show cars.

Maybe there should be a Hemmings Blog section about nice collector cars available for less than 10 large. Drivable dreams available for purchase.

I have 4 cars on the road ranging from 1959 to 1964 that cost me less than 6000 each. Anytime people want to talk about them, I will. I also tell them that they are not expensive cars, they are not worth a lot, and if you want an old car, there are thousands around that are in that price range. And they are fun

And, at a cruise night, or car show, when kids look at them, I invite them to sit behind the wheel. These kids range from 5 to over 70. They all get the same grin.

I seem to be the only one doing this. Maybe we all should.

There are Cubs, Scouts, Guides, Boys and Girls clubs all over the place. Get your car club together with them, and show the kids (and their parents) what it is all about.

Tell them about the fun rebuilding a car. Tell them about the fun just driving an old car around. Tell them that it is OK to have an old car that isn’t better than new and encourage them to drive them to meets. Tell them about your club and that your club is available to help them through the various hurdles of old car ownership.

It is not only the loss of trade skills, it is the general economic climate as well. The rate of unemployment for younger people is at its highest rate ever. Likewise, the cost of even a basic restoration has risen dramatically in recent years. Cost and environmental regulations make it much harder to do a paint job just anywhere.

The other problem is that newer cars have become ridiculously reliable and fuel efficient. Once upon a recent time, turning an old car into a daily driver was far more economical than buying a new or late model vehicle. These days, driving a 9 mpg GM, or a breakdown prone Triumph is much more of a difference compared to even a late 80’s Toyota.

There is also a gap in cars “worth restoring”. Lets face it, most of the vehicles built from the late 70’s through the early 90’s are best forgotten. No young person aspires to restore and drive a K-car. The price of entry for much of the older stuff has gone beyond the budget of many young people.

I went through the comments and noticed a couple things. A lot of the perceived lack of interest centers around car shows. One big reason a lot of younger people involved in the hobby don’t go to car shows could be their involvment in internet forums! It’s a lot easier to have access to a specific forum of the car you have/like 24/7 than to make it to a show. Forms also have meetups and drives. IF the greybeards are complaining about not seeing enough interest, maybe they aren’t looking in the right spots. Money is an issue like everyone has stated, but another big important one is space. The space isn’t there to get a car and work on it unless you get really lucky. If most younger people are renting apartments it’s really hard to get the space along with your apartment to work on a car AND to get a landlord who is willing to let you do the work. I’m a younger guy and I got lucky with space and a landlord and due to personal reasons I have to move out of my place. I have my dailer driver and 2 project amc eagles, one in pieces. I’m pretty much boned trying to find somewhere to even store the projects let along someplace I can affordably work on them. Living conditions just aren’t the same in the populous places of the country to be conducive to working on cars. Also, anecdotal evidence on wrenching interest doesn’t really help here. Yeah, shop classes have disappeared and all that but there still could be a lot of people working on their cars that just don’t have an interest in bringing their work to a car show.

I’ve had an E-Type Jaguar 42 years and 6 others over the years, plus old Chevs,Fords,Plymouths. I could work on them because the engines weren’t covered with plastic. You could get your hands on stuff and fix it. Isn’t that way any more! And, you didn’t need a computer. Someone should make a new car with hot performance and market to hobbyists who want to work on it.

Maybe traditional car shows are graying and playing 1950’s top ten over and over are seeing a decline on youthful members. But look at shows like Torque Fest. Pre mid 60’s cars and trucks (traditional hot rods) . Hoods are not allowed to be opened. Cars are to be driven to the shows. Some live rockin good bands. These shows are packed with young familys with kids!!. Finally so many years of horrible junk like 1974 – 1990ish? So the older stuff was wonderful. But now why spend 50k on an old restored what ever …. when you can buy a great ho Mustang or Camaro or a sweet 1998 Vette convert for less than 15k.
Honestly who cares if the “youth” like or ignore our beloved old cars. I have been a “club” of one for a long time and never had a problem with attendance. Later Dave the Wave

We are getting to be 2-3 generations away from the days when our dad’s would necessarily work on their own cars. Not as a hobby, but to keep the family car going. This meant that there was the opportunity to learn the basics, you had tools available, and someone to bail you out of trouble if the project became more difficult than you anticipated. Nowadays, the initial commitment required just to build any sort of confidence is very significant. The space comment is valid also. It used to be common to see cars being worked on in the neighborhood. Tolerance for such behavior is pretty low these days. Also, remember that yesterday’s hotrods were typically a 10 or fewer year old car that was inexpensive and made a faster or more entertaining form of transportation. These are not the cars that make up todays collector hobby. Instead, the kids today are focused on things like turbocharging a used Honda. There are lots of these kids around on weekend nights if you know where to look. They are making some amazing horsepower in some cases. Still, the tools and knowledge it takes can be much greater than it used to be, so this necessarily means there will be fewer people modifying these cars.
I am often lamenting the loss of interest in driving events among my local British car clubs. But when I think about it, you have to remember that while the cars remain the same, the goals of their owners change over time. In the late 60s someone bought an MG because they wanted a sports car to do sportscar things in. In 2012 you don’t buy an MG to drive fast. In fact, if you care about personal safety or preserving the value of your investment, you leave the car at home. Same car, same club, totally different spirit.
The kids of today are not going to be interested in the collector car hobby as we know it, the same way you weren’t interested in a showroom stock restoration of your grandfather’s car. And if you are into driving a fast car quickly (which is where most of the automotive enthusiasm starts) you will quickly find that with increases in congestion and law enforcement, you will lose your license or end up in jail long before you can reenact any of the exciting car stories dad and his buddies used to tell. Better to stick with the playstation.
Can kids even driven a car with a manual transmissions any more? Things are on a significant decline, but the interest is not dead, you just have to look different places for it.

I think this hits the nail on the head. Many people today take their cars and lawn mowers to shops; they call plumbers, workmen for basic problems. One of my relatives even had a simple fence installed by professionals…but he had a lazy 17 year old son at home, it would have been a good way to occupy him and teach him something…

I think the Yuppies of the 80s started the trend, now their kids have little connection to anything mechanical.

Add in:

1. Cars that entertain your kids, making travelling an abstraction rather than a journey.
2. Computers at very young ages. I grew up with computers, but they were Commodore 64s and Apple IIs that were special toys we were rewarded with. I don’t think it’s natural for 4 year olds to be playing with iPads.
3. No physical knowledge. Pedagogy is moving away from teaching skills, now they only teach tools. Many schools don’t even teach cursive writing. Knowing tools, whether or not you use them, matters less than what learning skills which change how your brain works like penmanship, drafting (NOT with a computer), going to a library, shop class, etc.
4. Overpriced cars. Auction houses have made many cars very overpriced, few can get into the hobbie if they have kids, a mortgage, car payment, student loans, etc?

Add in more items and the reasons Gen-Y doesn’t want to touch cars becomes clear.

In the end, I don’t see this lasting. The service economy is a joke. At the end of the day someone has to make, grow, extract something to produce wealth (paraphrasing Henry Ford). You can’t have a feedback loop with people circularly paying other people to do things for them. The kids that find their interest in these areas will probably find ample employment since most people outside of rural America can’t do anything with their hands.

At least we’re lucky that antique cars have intrinsic value now, they probably won’t go the crusher in masse like in the 20s-60s.

The days of under a $1 gas are long gone, never to return unless an ocean of oil is found under the earth’s crust. Gone too are the days of an under a $1000 muscle car that needs a paint job and an engine rebuild. This generation is going to have to go after the scraps left over in the boneyards, what we once thought as basket cases, but still with the added time and money, can be made into a nice street machine. Next time you see that early 70’s Camaro or Cutlass gathering dust in the Pick’NPull, never mind if it has been T-boned in the side. You may have to get metal and parts from several other donor cars, but it can still be done on a reasonable budget.

I remember growing up going to Kaiser-Frazer conventions, as a kid, and being by far the youngest person there. I have noticed over the years that if the older collectors do not stir up interest in their cars with the younger generation, then the numbers decline not only in club members and show attendees, but potential buyers when the time comes. I don’t mean so much about the resale value, but the mere existence of these cars when we are gone. If there are no interested people left, cars and knowledge that was so carefully preserved will be a complete waste of effort.

I think some of the problem is the unwillingness of the local cruise-ins and small car shows to let in newer cars. That kid in the Honda with the “fart can” exhaust and the loud stereo, or that Cobalt SS (can’t be a REAL SS it’s front wheel drive) are the future of the hobby. That is what the young people are driving, and modifying just like hot rods always have.

I know in my high school nobody had a 69 Camaro, they had Hondas and Neons. So when people like me are middle age THAT”S what we will want. The hobby needs to embrace the future and make young people feel like they can be a part of the hobby and not try to drag today’s youth into the past. Old cars are great and don’t need help getting young people to like and lust after them.

When I was in High school people complained about the poor quality and workmanship of the newer cars…Late 50’s to early 60’s. Now i see it in the cars after 2000 compared to cars of 80’s to mid 90’s. The youth of today are gonna be showing and restoring these later cars;they already do, check out a Tuner car club show. They love Vws. Hondas, toyotas. etc. Do to changes in oil and gas I really can’t drive my stock 1963 Imperial much anyway.

Stop looking down on a guy that shows up at a show with a ’79 Cordoba! That’s what his dad had when he was young and there’s an emotional attachmant to it. Not my choice of car but good for him! (or her). There are other cars out there that are cheap and just as fun as a Camaro/Mustang/Charger. As stated earlier, cost has always been an issue. Cars have always been an expensive hobby and always will. It may be cheaper to play with an old car now than years ago if you look at percentage of income. You can’t moan about the long gone days of 98 cent gas when wages were $3.00/hr.

The “long gone days of 98 cent gas and wages of $3.00/hr?” My good old days were when gas was .25/gallon and I worked as a switchman for the telephone company for $40/wk! And that was before taxes! I was buying some great ’40s Fords and Chevies for $50-100. Nice, clean original cars that I proceeded to strip down, prime, and basically ruin! But it was fun for this teenager, and from those days on I was always able to service/repair my own cars and rarely had one break down on me. I went on to getting my dealer’s license and owning body shops in CA and OR and at 75 am still a car nut.

There’s a lot of talk on this thread about how kids nowadays are more interested in computers and their peripherals. Maybe so, but if we had had those computers in “the good old days,” we’d have torn them apart and hot-rodded them. We’d have know exactly how and why they work and would have learned to build our own. Most of those “nowadays kids” only want to be good little consumers and buy/use/toss/replace them.

The younger guys I know of now who are “interested in old cars” buy 10-20 year old Hondas and such, have those loud exhaust amplifiers installed on them and then drive them until they break. Whenever I do come across a “kid” who has a genuine interest in old cars, even 20 year old Hondas, and actually likes to get his/her hands greasy, I’m thrilled!

I think the non-interest in how it works somehow finds its way into why there are not so many young folks interested in old cars, or old anything else, for that matter. I am part of a railroad family, and the love of steam trains is alive and well in the older folks, and again, it’s really hard to find young people who give a rip. Most have never seen a steam locomotive and couldn’t care less.

“Most of those “nowadays kids” only want to be good little consumers and buy/use/toss/replace them. ”
-that’s one of the biggest issues, everything is disposable today. people will spend $100s on furniture every few years rather than spending $1000s once for furniture that will last a lifetime and be passed down.

“The younger guys I know of now who are “interested in old cars” buy 10-20 year old Hondas and such, have those loud exhaust amplifiers installed on them and then drive them until they break.”

– a lot of this is how they were raised and since their father didn’t know how to do anything else they don’t either. While before I would have said crap like that doesn’t belong in a car show, I think now we should reach out to them and use it as a teachable moment.

“I think the non-interest in how it works somehow finds its way into why there are not so many young folks interested in old cars, or old anything else, for that matter.”

“Most have never seen a steam locomotive and couldn’t care less.”

-true, but even truer because most have never seen one run. I remember seeing the N&W steam locomotives going past my house in the 80s when I was a little kid. Today, they are just fixtures.
– some of the hoons with Hondas that have a giant spoiler might be interested, but they probably don’t know how to actualize this interest since they know nothing about tools. True, some of them are just hoons and aren’t interested, but so are some of the baby boomer GTOAA members with their Judge clones.

I agree with many of the posters; I am membership chair of the CCCA NER and first of all, we need to do more to educate and reach out to the next gen. The cars in our club were personal vehicles of our current members, their fathers or grandfathers etc, therefore they have a personal connection/affinity for them. This generation does not; these are Museum vehicles to them. It is hard to get interested in/excited about cars you have never personally have the chance to drive in etc. (without us current owners creating extensove reach out programs to the next gen, kudos to Hagerty’s Operation Ignite program doing just this! But the Clubs need to get onboard and do so in a major scale).
Secondly, the pricing issue is legit. My FIL just won his class at Pebble Beach w a Classic he bought fifty years ago in college for a pittance; now it is worth hundreds of thousands and cost that much to restore. Get real; families today can in no way shape or form even break into the Classic hobby when the cost is exorbitant to even pick up a beater/project car.
Thirdly, this gen is not used to being in fraternal organizations; they connect online. And they do so for free; Twitter, Facebook etc all have free car groups online. they balk at having to pay for a membership for anything. The way the world works now is groups are subsidized by advertisers and not by members; memberships/groups are free to join, and they connect online (with occasional IRL -in real world- get togethers). If they get together then they are ok with event fees; but a membership fee in and of itself is an outdated mode. This gen will disregard that outright. I will be proposing free digital membership which would cost the club nothing as everything (publications, mailings) would cost nothing to transmit electronically, therefore enticing new members to sign up; then they pay a la carte for individual shows/activities they may wish to sign up for. Members who would like to receive the publication will be charged to cover the cost of the print edition (some do prefer to collect print editions).
Lastly there needs to be more cross promoting between clubs, not rivalry, We need to respect all Clubs and promote each other so the hobby as a whole is supported.
Thanks to all for your thoughtful commentray, we will be reviewing this article and comments the CCCA.

As a participant in as many car shows as I can get to my observation is that younger guys and gals love the old cars ,but cost has pushed them out. These big car auctions like B-J and Mecum have run the price of cars out of reach of many true hobbyists. The problem lays with people that see afor example a 69 camaro roll accross the block for 75-100K and then think well if that is worth that then my rust bucket growing roots in the backyard is is at least 25K. I have seen time and again what really are parts cars selling for astronomical amounts. Well if I was 18-25 and saw prices like that I wouldn’t bother either.

I’m continually amazed at the never-ending astonishment of why younger folks aren’t as seemingly interested in the old car hobby and the ‘baby boomers’ just can’t seem to figure it out. As I read the article and comments and then looked over to the right of the same exact page…viola’ – therein lies the obvious answer thats been staring at everyone for over 15 yrs. now. When a hidden headlight front clip from a ’68 wagon/Caprice/Whoevencares is being advertised for $2700…what do you think is going to be the effect on someone younger? They can buy a late 80s, early 90s Mustang GT/Camaro Z/28/Firebird or virtually any Honda/Toyota/whatever and get themselves around town for the price of some hulking late 60s front end! Give me a break…and nobody can seem to understand the issue? Gee, I can’t seem to figure it out either.
When places like Hemmings and Barrett Jackson continually push the values way beyond any reasonable real ‘value’ for the sake of older folks wanting to feel like their live savings poured into their childhood dream machine (that most can’t even fit into anymore – ala ’67 Corvette) wasn’t wasted in vain…and then turn around and complain that the ‘hobby’/business venture isn’t replenishing itself – take a good look in the mirror! You can’t have it both ways folks.
I’m 47 yrs. old and sit on 6 muscle cars – which is probably 3 too many, truth be told. My last big purchase was a ’70 GS Stage 1 that my daily driver Acura TL could run away and hide from. I paid more than it was worth, sold it for a small loss – and never looked back again. I now look at TPI/LS1/Modular motored new ‘old’ muscle that cost a fraction of the hulking, outdated, basically undriveable 60s-70s boat anchors and thats where you need to look for the continuation of the real enthusiasts. Want more proof? Most of you are probably halfway through yanking out that ‘ole plug fowler, ratty cam, multi-carb, rich running big block from your favorite old iron relic and putting in an LSI/Hemi/Modular motor and overdrive so you can drive it more – as we speak. I rest the case! Happy Motoring…

I agree with your message, but want to debate one point. We here at Hemmings don’t set the asking prices of the cars and parts listed for sale in Hemmings Motor News or on Hemmings.com – the asking prices are set by the people selling the cars/parts. Nor do we take a cut from the final selling price, so we have no stake in what amount a car or part sells for.

I get your point Daniel and will concede that Hemmings does not set prices for cars or parts. I will also agree that you folks do not recieve a cut from anything that sells…however, you do have a stake in what something sells for because you offer a forum for things to be advertised, and that you are paid for. Higher prices, more advertisers, etc. Fair enough, that in and of itself is not wrong by any means, but you have been the beneficiary of the mania and growth of the hobby (business) that has blown way out of purportion…along with all of the auction houses, collectors, speculators, etc. That is something that is not debatable. Want more proof? Why are we even having a discussion about the concerns of the hobby and the worries that the ‘boomers’ won’t be able to sell up when its time to unload their overpriced, prized possessions? Thats what all of this so-called concern is really about. Don’t look to me to bail you (metaphorically speaking) out from underneath of your $100k outdated covered wagon…I’m not your buyer – and I don’t see too many younger than me either, we’re looking elsewhere for better values.

Hemmings thrived long before collector car prices got driven into the stratosphere, and it will continue to thrive whatever direction collector car prices take in the future. Hemmings is for the collector car enthusiast, regardless of the prices paid for the cars.

That said, I agree that a very important facet of the discussion regarding the longevity and strength of the collector car hobby – and the future of it through the involvement of youth – has to do with the prices paid for the cars. It’s a double-edged sword – high collector car prices may drive youth away from the hobby (or at least toward more affordable alternative cars, such as Eighties cars and Japanese cars), but they also attract the attention of investors and entrepreneurs who start restoration and supply businesses that support the hobby, they lead to more classic car shows and swap meets, they lead to more classic car-themed TV shows, they lead to more classic car magazines, they attract the attention of legislators and lobbyists who become aware of the issues old car owners face, and they lead to higher visibility for collector cars among the general public (of all ages).

The question, I think, is less about whether high prices for collector cars is a good thing or a bad thing, but more about whether we can find a happy middle ground that sustains interest in the collector car hobby.

It is not just here that membership is graying and too many youth have no interest. Look at Sport Aviation where people restore vintage aircraft or build their own from plans or kits. It’s the same probome. ‘Youth are not interested there either. It seems to be the same wherever people use their hands to build and/or restore anything. Today’s youth have no experience with engines, electronic kit building, radio design, metal working, wood working, model building, model airplane flying or building, or doing any of the things that yesterday’s youth (us) were introduced to, through which we acquired the hands on skills we have, and utilize today, in the pursuit of various hobbies and restoration movements, all of which are actively preserving America’s electromechanical, mechanical, electronic, wood working, heritage. The path this will turn into is not one that will be good for the nation. When the youth who inherit the country find they can’t do anything because they never learned how to work with their hands and minds , or had any interest in doing so, will be at a complete loss to accomplish much of anything.

I don’t buy the latter argument, that today’s youth can’t and don’t work with their hands. Spend some time following the maker movement (a good start is through http://makezine.com/) and pay particular attention to the faces of the people in the movement, who all seem to be under 40. Young people want to build things too; they just need more opportunities.

I think they don’t work with their hands or brains when people discourage them from doing so. It does cross into other hobbies like electronics and model airplanes. I’m not a model airplane guy, but my F.I.L. lives and breathes it. My kids have great interest in learning about them, as their grandfathers house and garage are covered with them and a dedicated work space. My youngest, at 13 years old, asked if he could help, if he could go to the field. the answer was that “it’s not a toy, it’s not for kids – it’s a grown up sport”. Really? I hear the stories from him about doing it when he was 10 years old. What changed?
If you tell the kids they are not welcome, not smart enough or not old enough to understand, they will simply move on – they won’t pursue it any further. Let’s stop blaoming the kid’s and video games and computers. Just admit, you don’t want them around. It’s OK to feel that way, just stop pretending you don’t – it’s insulting to everyone.

I don’t buy it. Look at the craft beer movement, many people in their 20s and 30s are part of that and make their own beers. That takes a lot of working with your hands, building experience, and patience.

Making kids not welcome is part of the problem.

Being scared that they will get hurt and not letting them touch tools is another.

Having parents that shunned working with their hands, yet another.

Having more and more laws and regulations that make it hard to be a small businessman (why not work in a cubicle since someone else will handle the payroll, regulations which you don’t know about, and other forms), could be another.

Then demeaning the crafts and vocational jobs (saying you’re worthless if you don’t have a $50 diploma from a University) has made it worse.

At some point it has to turn around because there is always a financial interest in being a mechanic; look at artists, about 150-200 years ago they had a crisis because people could buy a camera and no longer needed a portrait artists…things were bad for a while, but we still have artists today…

Greying of the hobby,
Well,
it maybe true to some point I am 42 and have been involved in some form with the hobby since I was 16yrs.old and still in shop class in H.S.
I have been in a club for about 20 yrs.now and people come & people go in the hobby that constant remains. If young families would come just to expose young people to cars that is where and when the love affair begins. Too many times I have seen the “grey beards” frown on young people that don’t have deep pockets or a concourse car come to a local show. Heaven forbid they might receive a award for their hard work, did folks ever think that if someone like that should get a award it.may spark their interest and they may talk with friends about it and what fun they had it would be what I personally would call putting a bridge across the generation gap. Instead of frowning, offer advice if asked, build up their ride to them and maybe kindly suggest things that they could do themselves on a budget to improve their ride.
That is if some of the “grey beards” would come down off of their pedestals long enough to remember they were young once and worked at the local burger joint just to get enough money to buy that set of chrome plated valve covers they had their eye on. You also have to explain to your readers that this hobby is not a “instant gratification” hobby like so many other things have become in the 21st century.
It is time “ALL” of the “Gear-Heads” get up off the mat, start promoting car shows as family fun events, have things to do for the whole family.
We all need to stop finding fault with the hobby and talk about what is still good about it and build on it instead of ripping it to bits all of the time in articals like this one. Remember folks are watching and reading, did any of you guys think about taking your old Hemmings or other auto related Magazines and donating them to a school library to spark the young interest? There maybe a lot of school districts without shop class, but they all still have library’s. Remember, for those of you that have Barrett Jackson worthy auto’s, unless you were born with a silver spoon you probably had to start somewhere in the hobby with a clunker. Who cares if they bring a Toyota to a show, at least their at the show and while at the show get exposed to American Cars and see why we all have a special place in our hearts for them. Another factor is that too many shows charge too much coinage for a lawn show. When you see entry fees hitting the $20-$30 range that leaves a lot of young folks out and maybe some older ones as well. We need to make it a fun hobby again, not a way to make a quick buck.
I love it when shows are done for chairity then you know that you are not only having fun, but helping a cause in the process.
I hope that these comments stur some emotions I intended it to do just that and get everyone to remember that even if the vehicle you have isn’t finished or the best of show, you can still have a heck if a lot of fun and meet some really interesting people. Remember changes begin with the person in the mirror!

Andy, i agree totally, there is enough discouragement going around when the younger guys and gals pull up in their late model whatever, that they have “hot rodded” and changed to suit them, just like the “gray beard” did with his “late model” many years ago.
Remember, they were not always classics or antiques !
I believe some encouragement would go a long way in getting the younger crowd to notice your “old” classic,, if you could just bring yourself to compliment them on the improvements, modifications, or redesign that probably took them just as much time and money as your did.
Also consider the fact they are usually working with something a bit more complicated than a flathead, and that their car may have more wiring and electronics in it than your home, like fuel inj., computers, multi media systems, turbos, plastics, polymers, and new technologies of the such.
So just ask yourself, “could i do that?” probably not, so try to give a little credit where credit is due.

And for the record im in my mid 40’s and am a little slow keeping up with everything new coming out, so i do my best to give credit where credit is due, especially when i see what these “kids” are doing these days, they may just teach YOU something if you let them!
Steve

To your point; My wife is a first grade teacher. I sent her to school with a pile of old Hemmings Classic car and Muscle Machines – the kids LOVED them. Thats waht got me hooked, the Hot Rod subscription I got for my 6th birthday. These kids DO have interest. They lose it quickly when treated disrespectfully or with disdain by the people currently “in charge” of the hobby.

I am not convinced that young people today don’t appreciate the classic cars of old. I drive my two old restored driver cars– a ’52 Hudson Hornet coupe and a ’48 Buick Super convertible– once a week year around, weather permitting here in the SF Bay Area, and even in my community, which doesn’t appreciate old cars as much as in Southern California, I get thumbs up, “cool car,” and all kinds of shouts and smiles from young schoolchildren, teenagers, both boys and girls, and occasionally from folks in their 20s and 30s. Admittedly, most of the real admirers who come up to talk to me and drool over my cars wherever I park them, are baby boomers or older. It’s a simple fact that us older folks grew up with these cars, drove them or had parents who drove us in them. Or like myself, I moonlighted in a gas station pumping gas and changing oil, and learned some mechanics working fulltime for the Postal Service on their trucks and cars in the early 1970s. We all learn by doing, and we love the things we are most familiar with. Sure, today that’s nostalgia, but it doesn’t preclude having younger people appreciate the cars for what they are and for the eras they represent. The hobby is a good thing for those of us who participate in it, and it’s good for spectators, young and old, as well. As to it’s future, that’s anybody’s guess.

Two words; Barrett-Jackson.
Ever since they started televising those auctions,
Every Tom, Dick and Harry thinks his OLD Chevy Biscayne is a 50 thousand dollar find. So now a young fella who’d have been interested now looks at his MacDonald’s pay check and chooses to buy another video game.
I see no coming back from this Blackhole.

I think if many were honest, they would just admit they do not want “kids” in their hobby, club, clique, whatever you want to call it.
I’m 45 years old with two teenage boys. They grew up around cars, as I did. My father was less of a car nut than I – he took me to all the shows, we stopped at roadside lots on vacations to look at old cars, the works, but I am obsessed since age 3. I make my living in the auto repair business and always have three or four older cars at a time in my modest collection. My kids have been to all the shows, taken the cruises, helped me work on the cars and the like since they were 3-4 years old.Cars surround most dinner conversations.
I despise even going to shows or cruises. If you are not 55 plus, you are not welcome and it is made painfully obvious. Just one example of many, at a large weekly gathering in our city, most every brand and club is represented. A few years back, I took my pristine, low mileage classic GM convertible with the boys to the show. I saw that there was a grouop of similar vehicles together, along with about 15 empty spots near them. I went to back into a spot and was told in no uncertain terms that these are reserved for club members and I need to move. It should be noted that the promoters have signs prohibiting the saving of spots, but I’m not their to fight, so I parked off site in the general parking. Three hours later, the spots are still empty.
If you are not a member of a “club”, you are not welcome – but they don’t encourage you to join , either…odd. If you are a teenager, stay away. If you are a parent, keep your kids away, and they won’t have to endure the comments about their lack of “understanding” of how it used to be, about old cars and just generally rude comments about todays youth.
The idea that kids are “only interested in video games” is the same attitude today’s gray hairs despised coming from their elders in the 50’s and 60’s. The baby boomers are quite a self centric group, me thinks. At 45 , I don’t fit anywhere – can’t relate to Gen X and the baby boomers don’t want me – LOL! With that prevailing attitude towards your demographic, why would anyone want to subject themselves to this hobby today?
In any event, I keep my cars to myself and enjoy driving them and working on them. I stay away from the cruises and shows. I won’t donate my money to support their antisocial behavior. My kids enjoy some aspects of the old car hobby, but the culture diduades their involvement, so they care just a little bit less. And their kids will care just a little bit less. Then, in 20 years, I’m afraid there will be little interest in these classics as more than a museum curiousity.
But by then, the current keepers of the flame will be long gone and the cars will become estate sale fodder. It is proven that value trends are based on interest derived in youth – i.e. – you were a dreaming teenager in the 60’s, you like 50s and 60s cars, you were like me, I love 70’s cars. the values follow. Look at the values of 1920s-30s cars that plumetted in the last decades, now that their followers have passed. the same will be true for the current crop of beautifully – and expensively – restored 50s and 60s vehicles. the value will drop below the cost of restoration and they will fade away. I think a great example was the 55-57 Chevys I saw a BJ this year, many selling for 25% less than a decade ago. Go ahead and push the future earning generation away and who will buy these cars, these parts, etc?
I hope this is a geographic anomoly, but rudeness and disdain for those not in the clique usually transcends state lines, so I’m not optimistic that this is a western US issue. My best advice from one who is really at a “take it or leave it” place in my concern for the hobby is this – leave the attitude and superiority complex at home and start encouraging people not in your clique to join your passion.

I disagree…but only slightly. Most of the shows I’ve been to had a lot of very nice people. However, some do not and I’ve experienced it both ways so I know those are not the majority. Sadly, it takes only a few bad car guys to turn away possible young converts.

As far as clubs, my experience were similar. I’ve been in many clubs (and still belong to most of them), a few of the clubs were great and actually all of the clubs had friendly people. However, most of the clubs were cliquish and catered only to the over 55 crowd on scheduling. Many of us in our 30s can’t go to meetings at 7PM if we want to do other stuff and many of us can’t take an entire week of leave to attend a car show that has nothing on the weekend (e.g. GTOAA convention).

I just dropped my membership in a local club. I had the misfortune of chatting up a member last Fall who showed a quite nicely one period-correct ’53 Chevy 2DHT and who did Not replace the stove bolt with a 350 SBC. I told him how much I really appreciated that, and that I found his other period-correct touches — the tucked and rolled upholstery, really nice not too overdone paint in Candy Apple Red, the Moon hubcaps and the like. I told him it was refreshing to see something like that, as it might have looked when I was in high school.

He asked what I had. I have one of those Foreign Cars — a ’78 280Z Black Pearl — that from a technical point of view is as good and arguably better than anything he or his friends have. Mostly subtle modifications that have taken the 3.1 liter stroker engine to about 300 hp on the bench, suspension improvements that make it corner at about modern Corvette g-loads, all the while keeping it looking pretty original with an uncut body. Not quite a full-up Resto-Mod, but certainly a better Car than it ever was when new.

What was his response? A longish half-hour diatribe on how he thought that such cars should Never be allowed in American car shows, that a “rice burner” of any sort was just simply Not As Good as a ’57 Chevy, and that he was still angry about WW2, for good measure.

He also made it clear that he spoke for a sizeable contingent of car club members. The club had decided, as a means of increasing potential membership, to open it to Any car from Any source. All would be welcome.

They said.

When my car, before I joined the club, had been judged Best of the 70’s by a quite competent fellow, he remarked to me that though there were a bunch of 70’s domestic cars in the show that were quite nice, for him the early Zs were The sports car of that decade, and that their main fault was they came on the market too cheap, so when it was time to fix them people just threw them away. That’s why they aren’t seen any more much.

But when I put it into shows, I get crowds of people who had one, or their dad had one, or some other relative/friend, and how they recalled that they were Great cars of their day.

The judge who gave me the trophy for Best of 70’s told me that the club members suggested I had perhaps paid him off, because at No other time was a Rice Burner so honored.

The club has activities like making an old Model A body into a street rod. I’ve BTDT, and don’t need to re-do it. Neither, to be frank, do most of the people on the project. They are mostly just pleased to have the chance to do it again.

I just quietly dropped out. None of what they want to do speaks to what I want to do. I’ll find some other group that maybe does, or perhaps I’ll just follow my current preference — to attend car shows where every car does Not have a 350 SBC all chromed up and where driveability is more important than 50’s-era retrostyle.

There’s a Lot of room in the hobby for everyone, so long as everyone appreciates Cars for what they really Are, and not as memes of days of youth long past.

I tried to recruit some of the young people, whose taste in the pocket rockets does not uniquely reside with the foreign makes. There are also some domestic makes they rather like. But there’s a greater community of interest in them because of what the cars Are than where they came from.

Le plus ca change, le plus ca meme chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I will add that the value drop can benefit the car hobby. I was able to buy my grandfather’s 1919 car 20 years after he died because the interest was less intense (not cheap, but reasonable). For the intervening 20 years it sat in a private collectors garage, never driven; now I drive it more than my grandfather and the last owner combined. Had I tried to buy it in the 90s it would have cost twice as much.

I believe the interest is still there, but maybe the prices will become more realistic. It makes no sense for a 50s Chevy to cost 100k, and who can afford that? The value might drop below the price of restoring them, but the current situation is that few can afford to restore them. Neither is ideal, but I’d hope we see things like 50s Chevy’s in running condition rather than a few concours restorations that never get driven.

I have sold antique truck parts for over 30 years. I used to attend a lot of farm auctions to acquire parts trucks. Those days are gone. The price of car bodies is currently hovering around $200 to $250 a ton. Farmers are driving their older farm trucks across the scale and handing the keys to the crane operateror who throws it up in the pile. China needs the iron is what the broker told me . I did attend one farm auction in the past year. The only non grey haired person was the one that attended with their grampa. Other than grandpa not a lot interested them.

So what I am getting to is this

It is hard to find an affordable car to restore

The income of young working people is barely enough to survive let alone restore or enjoy a older car or truck.

The young do not relate to an old car. A person relates to what they had in their youth.Almost all of my current customers are over 45

If I want to survive in business I need to change to selling used Honda parts.

Most young people do not have a lot of disposable income. I worked for the government for over 30 years. There is a flood of engineers, many without jobs.

The wage of a non skilled job is just above minimum wage. The new hobby is a smart phone. If they can afford it and a $120 a month cell plan. Not and old car. In 1989 my friend worked in a factory for $12 an hour. The same exact job now pays $12 and hour. They are now filled with illegal immigrants with minimal befits. Big business loves illegals as it maximizes the profits . So even if you are willing to work hard in your youth the opportunites to find a good paying job are nothing like they were 30 years ago. Even if you are young and have two degrees your chances are not good of finding a job.

Where does a young person work on/store their old car. Your local man in blue way pay you a friendly visit if you leave it outside in view.

The high dollar price of antique auto parts from China. You can build an old Chevy truck from China. The parts look terrible and fit worse. Bumper to bumper. It will cost you about $40,000 before you buy an engine.This is not in a young persons budget.

Best way to make a $20,000 car is put $40,000 into it.

Changing of the times.

End of the Golden Era in the U.S.

Start of the Chineese Golden Era

Our current political structure wants everyone to be of the same social class. Trust me it is not the middle class.

I have to agree with you on most of your statements on our current state of all the negative things our country is going thru. It’s certainly not the Happy Days I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s,but we can instill in our younger generation an appreciation of our automotive history.

What you remember as Happy Days are an illusion of memory. They were not all that Happy, unless you were white, middle class and comfortable. We had millions of invisible people at the time who were none of those things.

It was the Happy Days mentality that sent me to a war that should never have been fought, that resisted the dreams of minorities within this nation to share the same sort of life as The Comfortable had, or even to be able to Afford a decent used car when such things were completely out of reach.

I too am a child of the 50’s. I remember it well — but I recall it as it really was, and not with the sorts of selective memory so many wish to imbue it with.

I’m 64 and have been a car buff since I can remember. Ny father liked cars but was more brand specific and only got excited because of the new Plymouth or Dodge. My grandfather liked cars inasmuch as they were transportation. My son, who is 33 was a VW nut as a kid, but spent about 6 years of his life living in NYC and not owning wheels. Now he owns a house and has a child and is a bit mor interested in cars, but only to a degree. He likes the Mini that he owns but will be replacing it with a Subaru Outback for utility. He’s not a mechanic and never will be. I THINK he might know how to change a tire but that’s about it. I had engines opened up and did plenty of work, but as a kid he wasn’t interested. Is he indicative of the generation? Perhaps. Schools don’t churn out auto techs anymore and it’s preferable to get a clean job at a keyboard than a dirty job in a garage. If the money is the same, why break your back?

And I also think that previous comments about affordability ring true. When I was a young pup, a running specimen was available for under $100 but today 3 grand buys you junk with electronics that can’t be repaired and cost as much as the car they are going into. I did buy a 94 Miata 6 years ago for $3500 and have spent the years tweaking improving or repairing the car to my liking, but I somehow don’t see that as a practical option for a current model Miata, or anything else for that matter.

I am lucky enough to have a summer cottage near Gettysburg, so I attend many of the car shows at Carlisle PA…and I could attend a car show almost every weekend in South Central PA. Although I agree with many of the sentiments, I DO see and chat a younger owner at most car shows…20s and 30s…sometimes a teen.

It should also be noted that teens and young people are not as interested as they were in getting a drivers license, much less a car. Socialization can now be done with ease and low cost, without tying up a household phone. You don’t need to go to the burger joint, record store, roller rink (?) or anywhere to socialize. No hassle with the parents either (“Why can’t I go out???”). Electronic media allows socialization that is very similar to “face to face” conversation with a group of people all at once. Games can also be played electronically by ones self or with a group of people without face to face contact.

To end on a more positive note, my 9 yr. old daughter has a more extensive collection of Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars than I ever did. When we go to car shows, we wear t-shirts with the ARMO “Take a Kid to a Car Show” logo on the front (ARMO allows this), her name is on the back of hers and the back of mine says that I’m her Dad (instead of my name). We walk to the Woodward Cruise each year (we live close).

The freaking prices!!! How can a youth get enthused about collecting cars when they have become unaffordable to all but the extremely wealthy? When I was of that age 30 years ago I could buy a nice MGB for under $2k all day long, and I could pick up one that needed a little work for $500. I bought an Austin Healy 3000 for $1300 in the late 70s.

Prices for even crapboxes are higher than I have ever seen, there are practically no good local junkyards anymore because of rampant crushing and EPA. The cars that are good original unmolested are getting very hard to find and what decent 4-door cars are left are not appreciated… they are routinely stripped for parts for basket case two doors.

I think the collector car prices are spiking because all the baby boomers are spending large (ridiculous) sums to buy the cars they always wanted. And I think there will be a big crash in car values when that generation passes. Unfortunately these crazy high values are a barrier to the younger generations so they lose interest.

For a decade or so there, the Ts and the As and cars of that vintage were hot items on the market. Then the old guys started to die off, the prices plummeted, and vehicles that really were never worth much as Cars also lost their value as Investments.

Now you can buy them fairly cheap, If you really want one.

I don’t. The kids don’t either. I wouldn’t buy one at any price, because it’d be just too much bother and not have anywhere near a sufficient Fun quotient to make it worthwhile.

As a 70-year old, I want a car that I remember from my 20’s and 30’s — something with enough Oomph to get out of its own way, something that doesn’t have to slow down to 20 in order to make a corner marked at 30, something with a curved line that draws my eye to it, something that I can drive for 200-300 miles without worrying about carrying extra parts and a tool kit along with me.

It certainly doesn’t help that those of us having beloved vehicles that are from the ’70’s or ’80 having to defend them against labels such as “malaise era” cars, or comments such as: “to old yellow 78 if we wanted to look at used cars we would go down to the local auto mart.” Makes a person, even one over 50, reconsider even trying to connect with others in the hobby. Not sure why I keep trying.

The easy way out for kids these days is not all their fault. Working at Mcdonalds,or the Mall is quick easy work where they can socialize. When I grew up we worked at gas stations, body shops or car dealerships although there was the movie theatres, Dairy Queens and Stewarts Root Beer ! lol

The neutering of society. Kids can’t be kids. If you’re young and slightly foolish as I once was, you’re now considered a terroist threat for spinning your tires, speeding, God forbid- racing. I’m guessing most everyone posting here grew up when seatbelts weren’t required, never mind airbags. Drove around laying in the back window. Now they put people in jail for that kind of stuff, where’s the interest in going to jail and being marked for life- stays on your permenant record cause computers don’t forget?

Pricing- I bought my 68 Camaro in 1980. The deal was with my parents I’d pay 1/2 the insurance. I make great money today and can’t afford insurance if I let my kids drive my classics. How are any young kids supposed to get a “cool” car when the upkeep of insurance and taxes automatically locks them out if they could afford something to be proud of/want to show.

Why not just go with what’s obvious? My dad was all taken with the Model T, and thought his ’37 Ford he bought in the late 40’s was a modern car. I could give a rip about the Ts or the As ftm. They are slow, uncomfortable to drive, unsafe and just generally uninteresting.

My generation is in Love with the cars of the 50’s and 60’s — the Musclecars. While there are some few kids in their teens and 20’s who enjoy looking at them, few really would choose to own them. They are expensive, dirty, unreliable and huge. Hard to park, hard to keep and just not worth their bother.

But I went to an import show here a while back. My much-improved 1978 Datsun 280Z was appreciated, but was decidedly Old School (it won a trophy for that, sort of as an organizer after-thought) and the kids had never seen one.

But the place was chock full of some astonishingly sophisticated Pocket Rockets, Hot Hatchbacks and similar cars that the grey-haired old far car show types deride as Rice Burners.

Sorry, people. The car culture is doing just fine. The aftermarket is full of add-ons, improvements, parts, services, unbelievable paint jobs, fuel injection and other high performance stuff the kids get a huge kick out of.

The whining about the graying of the car hobby seems to me to be a generational thing. It’s not that there’s no longer a car hobby — it’s the complaint that those in it don’t care for Our cars.

Sorry. To the new ones coming up, Our Cars are dinosaurs, hardly worth the effort of trying to own and drive, priced out of their reach, and more and more being appreciated not for what they actually Are — cars — than for what they are Worth – investments.

The kids don’t care. If we old farts make fun of their cars, ferdamshur they aren’t about to go out of their way to appreciate ours.

Well said about the older generations dismissing the current cars of today’s youth… Same thing that happened to them when they were kids I’m sure.
My 16 year old and I found a 65 mustang and fixed it up for his first car , even upgrading to shoulder belts, disc brakes and rack/pinion steering. When done, I was really not comfortable with it as a daily driver in this day and age of 60 mph surface street traffic and going up against modern, 6000 lb cars and trucks. I got him a Chevy cobalt instead, with airbags, abs, etc.
I have to say- what a fun car- I felt like I’d did when I got my 74 nova when I was 16- it is simple, looks sporty, you can do fun stuff to make it your own and plenty if aftermarket support.
Our decision was justified on Saturday when he was involved in a serious crash, hit broadside by a GMC Envoy at 50 mph . In the mustang, I assure you we would have lost him. Instead, modern tech saved him with great structural integrity and air bags. He broke his hip and shoulder but I call it lucky. His passengers walked away.
The car world is changing, we might be right to change with it and not live in the past, but enjoy the antiques for what they are and move forward.

I would like to raise one point that I haven’t seen in the preceding comments. Once upon a time, the auto industry – with the posssible exception of Hudson – did not offer “hot” street models. Everything was plan vanilla, and individual owners would then upgrade/modify/improve/indiviidualize their cars with either/both dress-up bits from JC Whitney, Pep Boys, etc. and/or their local speed shop. Then, if memory serves, the auto industry took note of this potential profit center and began offering these sorts of bits – from custom wheels to bucket seats and big engines – right from the factory.. Good on one hand in that a customer could buy a well-engineered hot car right off the showroom floor – bad in that it would eventually lead to the near-extinction of the DIY owner who also had to deal with increasingly stringent safety and emissions laws. There’s been something of a recovery in the aftermarket world, but today’s new cars are not intended to be tinkered with. Just a thought.

About 10 years ago Hemmings had a small book/pamphlet you could get free, titled something like “Getting started in antique cars.”

Maybe with that could be updated into a short how to guide (book or internet) on getting started, from tools to skills and where to get them, how to find a car and what to look for, and type of cars by era. Some of this was covered in the book I have, but the internet has changed a lot of it, and cars that were not antiques then are now. So maybe an updated is needed.

Many great comments here, but the underlying factors in why the car related hobbies are “Graying” specifically lies in cultural changes. Cultural changes brought about by the Interstate Highway System. Once completed, the Interstate Highways began killing off the family adventure of a two week road trip along America’s two lane highways. They also began killing of the social connection that youngsters enjoyed with the automobile. Cruising the main street in one’s smaller town was replace by venturing to the nearest larger town with a shopping mall and big theaters. The local burger joint where everyone met and hung out went bye-bye as the glitzy franchise fast food restaurants at Interstate exits sniped off the customers that once were on the two lanes. Drive-in theaters took a hit from those multiple screen theaters that sprang up everywhere there was a shopping mall. The stripping of all social connections from the automobile was almost complete.

Then came the oil embargo of 1973 and the proclamation by our illustrious President that the world was running out of oil. Of course now forty years later we are fully aware of that having been Hog Wash. However the affect on automobile design would be resounding. Enter automobiles with little or no elegance in design and anemic engines. All making it often more practical to fly from point A to point B. Virtually no more automobiles that would catch the fancy of youth as took place in the 1950s and 1960s.

Those who remember the times in which a kid could venture to a salvage yard and buy a decent ’32 Ford 3 or 5 window coupe and a more modern OHV engine to put into it for a little or nothing know the death of the hobby began with the demise of those good old “junk” yards and automobiles that present little opportunity for customization. If one is a restoration purist take a look at automobiles made between the late 1970s and the present why bother? Most are just not worth the effort of preserving and most do not have good parts support once they pass ten years in age, not even as good as for cars of the 1960s in many cases.

If Car Clubs don’t actively support interest in the hobby by doing more than just showing up at a cruise night or an occasional car show, the hobby will suffer an agonizing death as all the “Gray” heads slowly cruise away to the car show in the sky.

I am 49, my brother who was 16 years older than me introduced me to muscle cars. The young men I work with as a Security officer and when I was on the job as a PO do not care about old cars. I have no idea why people find this so hard to understand. As the last of the boomers my first car was a 1976 Camaro and it was a piece of crap. The only reson I have love for these cars is
from my brother. Most of these guys dont have that kind of connection , and surely dont have the money to buy a nice 60s muscle car.
The will come a time in this country I predict
in the next 10-15 years when supply will be much higher than demand, and there are going to be alot of people trying to get top dollar for a car very few people are going to want. There is no denying this . Something is only worth what people are willing to pay for it.
I want a 66 GTO myself but with two small children I at these prices I cant justify spending
that kind of money, I do have a 1972 elkhart green Vette my wife inherited from her father who bought it new, its nice but not a 60s muscle car. I am sorry if I sound bitter but I am
the prices have ruined it for the average guy who could drop 20,000 on a car but I refuse to participate it this madness perhaps I will be around with my checkbook when prices come down. Dont count on the next generation after the boomers to bail you out of your antique they are not going to do it.

Dennis, that’s been our experience while trying to sell some 40s and 50s cars. The interest is waning. We can’t control what happens after we are gone. Or can we? I hope that efforts such as those sponsored by Hagerty to bring youngsters into the hobby work. The “Fast and Furious” crowd may not like the cars we like, now, but they are car guys (and women!) nonetheless. We may not understand their music, their love of body modifications, or their choice of rides. But bringing them into our car clubs and meets is essential.

Imagine if the oldest collectors had said “nothing but Brass Age” in their organizations.

Meanwhile, there are bargains to be had at Hemmings and elsewhere. My 40-something nephew is selling a nice Corvair convertible for $5K and it runs great. It may not be your ’66 GTO, but it’s an old car that someone will drive and love, not put on a pedestal at Jackson-Barrett and invest in like a stash of gold bars. And I bet there’s a kid who saw the first Transformers film and thinks “I could fix up an old Camaro like the first on in the film. That would rock.”

Joe I understand what you are saying, I have no problem with things changing I dont have $50,000 in a collector car. I Have
also experienced the closed culture of the car clubs. My 10 year old son and I brought my 72 Stingray coup to local show
and these people sitting in there lawn chairs would not even speak to us, This is not the only time this has happened to me. Also I have a 1966 Malibu sport coup that my wife also inherited from her father and this car has also been in the family since new. I am not looking for some bargain on Hemmings I dont need another car. I mention the 66 Goat because it had some meaning to me with my brother , if I could find a nice clean one in the $20,000 great I doubt that, otherwise I have no interest in any other cars just because they are old. Including Corvairs, been there done that with a Corsa in high school.

As far as “nothing but Brass age.”? They do, my 1919 Scripps-Booth is not included for most clubs for that reason (too old for some, too new for others). Despite being accepted by one Pontiac-Oakland club, I had to practically beg to get another Pontiac-Oakland club to even respond to an email. And that’s despite it being a mostly badge engineered Oakland.

So that’s been my experience too. As someone in my 30s I grew tired of the cliquishness of clubs and I’ve stopped sending in my checks. I’m still interested in cars, and have 5 antique ones. But, I decided to just stay off radar and find others who are off the radar as well for similar reasons. We don’t have meeting and dues, but we actually work on our cars and use them.

Guys, you are bumming me out My wife drives her old Chevy truck and I drive my El Camino when we can, even running errands on quiet days. I am no investor and not much of a mechanic, but I think it’s good to run old rides and, within reason, accept the patina that comes from regular use, paint chips and all.

I am lucky that the local club as a “drivers class” so guys like me with patina on our rides can bring them and chat up the other car nuts. But maybe I found the right group: there are not that many snobs in the local circle, and if you come to a meeting with a daily driver, you get the best parking anyhow

Good luck finding others to share your hobby. Though I prefer the Muscle-Car era (with a passion for the ’55 Chevy thrown in for good measure) all old cars interest me. I learn something new from every owner of an E-type Jag, Rambler, or ’40 Ford I meet.

You are lucky, Joe! Here in sunny Arizona, land of the collector car, these clubs are like cheerleader sororities. To qualify, you must be over 55, rude, obnoxious and an expert on every subject. I’m 45 and I’ve grayed just enough to not get sneered at if I dare look at their rides , but still not allowed to park in their sections they rope off at 11am the day before – LOL! Like someone else said, I can’t even get a response from the local Buick or Riviera clubs to attempt to officially join – I guess you have to know the secret handshake.
Many have seen my other posts on the subject – people like this have run off two or three generations now. I don’t really have a use for the rice burner, face fell in a tackle box crowd either, but you can sure see why they have no desire to be involved with these ‘old car” guys. The sad fact for them is that many have invested their life savings in one or two really fine old cars, but the value will continue to drop due to lack of interest. Their estate will be stuck with them or take the loss to pay off the bills.
I, too, prefer the driver cars. I have four “old”cars now – three 70’s Buicks and a 70’s Chevy truck. They are all extremely clean and mostly original, but granted, not show cars. I have fun with them, tinkering, polishing, cruising with the family. I will just keep it that way – I don’t want to voluntarily be derided by these self proclaimed experts for the privilege of sitting in the hot sun so others can school me on how I should have built it, restored it, painted it, whatever.
My 17 and 14 year old boys practically run if I say we are going to the local cruise in night – they feel the tension of those geezers that don’t want them near their cars too, but my 17 year old has a 65 Mustang and my 14 year old can’t wait to take over the reigns on the 72 Chevy truck. It’s not that the kids today don’t appreciate the cars, they don’t appreciate the culture. If they can’t be accepted in the culture, they look elsewhere.
Sad

I can go to local cruise ins a few times a year, some are still OK. But, I’d rather just take my stuff for a ride.

We had a big nat’l meet here (GTOs and Pontiacs) and while some people were very nice, most didn’t even look like they wanted you to look at their cars. Even though I drive by that venue everyday on my way to work, I got bummed out after 2 visits. I tried to show some out of towners around, but they were too stuckup to see any of the local attractions.

I can see why people my age and younger don’t like the cars I like since. I keep interested in my cars despite the crowds and culture.

I know this is an old thread, but I went to the Woodward Cruz this last week. Spending several days starting the weekend before. I am 50 and have been going from the last twenty years. My observations are this. There are still plenty of classics but very few bass era cars, most of the 50s
60s, and 70s cars are driven by men and women
mostly men my age and older most way older.

i am now seeing alot more 80s cars.
Friday the night before the cruz my son and I were in my 1972 Corvette and he asked me dad were are all the old cars, Woodward was filled with new cars and I dont mean new muscle car
just new cars. The Cruz had turned into a place for people to hang out. Also a ton of japanese sports cars Subarus WRX ect.
The week before is the time to cruz, I dont mean to sound negative , but I do see the change coming to the hobby you dont see young guys driving old cars. They will be cruzing and into cars a long time just not ours.